Brown wants to reduce state fire protection

Sacramento  Gov. Jerry Brown has laid out a new mission for Cal Fire that could lead to fewer firefighters on each engine and a dramatic shrinking of responsibility, leaving local agencies to defend vast swaths of rural San Diego County.

Brown’s proposal, included in his state budget plan, renews debate over the state fire agency’s role, originally designed to protect forests and watersheds but subsequently expanded greatly as housing pushed deeper into the state’s backcountry.

More is at stake than dousing flames. Cal Fire crews are often the first to respond to other types of emergencies, such as accidents or home heart attacks.

Cal Fire by the numbers in San Diego County

• 200 seasonal firefighters

• 70 of them are needed to ensure four per engine

• $2.18 million for salaries for the extra crews

• $20 million annual budget

• 28 engines

• Source: Cal Fire

Most immediately, Brown proposes to rescind a 2003 policy of assigning four firefighters to every engine, scaling back to three.

Longer-term, he has directed the California Board of Forestry and Fire Protection to develop recommendations to limit coverage and give counties and cities the responsibility and money to step in.

Many San Diego County residents count on state crews to defend their homes and lives. County supervisors are wary that the state may not write a full check.

“We spend $15 million annually with Cal Fire to keep those stations open ... That’s not a responsibility we could step in and pick up,” said board chairman Bill Horn.

Said Supervisor Dianne Jacob: “The protection of life and property must be the top priority of state government. That should not be cut.”

The San Diego City Council decided in November to keep four firefighters assigned to its engine rather than make cuts.

“With three you lose efficiency and a margin of safety for both firefighters and the community members they’re trying to protect,” city Fire-Rescue Chief Javier Mainar has said.

The city continues the policy of “brown outs” that idle fire engines on a rotating basis to deal with budget shortfalls.

Brown’s representatives insist the public will not be in more danger. H.D. Palmer, a spokesman for Brown’s Department of Finance, said state research shows that during the initial attack three-team crews are just as effective as an engine carrying four firefighters.

He said the studies show that since 2003 state crews have corralled 92.2 percent of wildfires before they consume more than 10 acres. That’s similar to the success rate before 2003, he said.

The plan “in no way jeopardizes Cal Fire’s ability to respond rapidly and immediately to wildland fires,” he said.

But a San Diego State University study released last summer disputes that.

Matt Rahn director of research and education at the SDSU College of Sciences’ Field Stations Programs, said having an extra set of boots on the ground can minimize losses and save millions of dollars.

“Adding a single firefighter to an engine will save money by saving time, property and, most importantly, lives,” he said at the time.

Rahn’s study was financed by a firefighters union with a stake in staffing levels.

Howard Windsor is both fire chief of the San Diego County Fire Authority and the Cal Fire chief for the region. He reacted cautiously, given his dual roles, but said “staffing leaves do matter” and voiced concerns.

Brown’s proposal would eliminate about 800 seasonal fire fighting positions statewide starting in June, saving $34 million. The state would rely on city and county crews to step in, under mutual aid pacts, if there are staffing shortages during catastrophic wildfires, such as the deadly Witch Creek fire in 2003 and Cedar Fire in 2007 in San Diego County.

“It’s not a question of whether they will be responded to. They will. The question is who,” Palmer said.

Brown is scouring the budget, staring at a $25.4 billion deficit over the next 18 months. To close that gap, he has proposed $12.5 billion in cuts from the $86.5 billion general fund. He also plans to raise $12 billion in revenues, including asking voters to extend increases in the sales tax, personal income tax and vehicle registration fees due to expire June 30.

Sen. Christine Kehoe, D-San Diego, said that county officials continually approve new projects in rural areas. She believes that there needs to be a closer link between development permits and cost of fire protection.

How to pay for state fire fighting has been a question dogging lawmakers and local officials for years.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger twice proposed to levy surcharges on property insurance to pay for fire fighting and other emergency response costs. Lawmakers balked and Brown has apparently shelved that idea in lieu of his vow not to raise taxes or fees without voter approval.

In San Diego County, voters have rejected parcel taxes to fund fire protection.